Defense in the Oxford dictionary is defined as “defending; justification; defendant’s case or counsel; players in defending position; fortifications”.

Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), in the Iron Man movies, is in a defending position. He has inherited weapons and defense manufacturer, Stark Industries.

In Iron Man (2008), a showing of the capabilities of Tony’s new “Jericho” missile goes wrong in the desert of Afghanistan. Terrorists capture him, but he is kept alive though seriously wounded.

There is a way out. The Yinsen, the terrorist group, will let Tony go if he builds a missile for the Yinsen.

It’s a no brainer. Why would he build a weapon for the enemy?

It’s a theme in World War II movies, where the brains of an outfit is coaxed into building weapons for the other side, much against their own conscience. The theme is in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

In a movie, it’s always a let-down when someone with the know-how starts to design something dangerous for the opposition.

However, their life is at risk if they don’t.

When it matters, standing up for principles can be difficult but seems to be necessary.

Tony does not go down that path of compromise. He will defend his country and his honor no matter the risks. It is also a matter of survival. So he builds the Iron Man suit, which is powered armor suit, with the intention to escape through superior muscle.

Tony will not give in to the enemy’s demands. He’s defending himself and his country by not giving over a weapon to the enemy in exchange for his freedom.

His fight for escape is hard-won, but he will not give in. The justification he has for defense is that a weapon in the hands of a terrorist is a terrible thing. He couldn’t live with his conscience if he ever did give in to the terrorist’s demands, not that he would.